“Yes. I convinced Malek to release me from my obligation to him, and then he and I went against the fold to release my obligation to them.”

  Faye’s lips parted. “He fought for you?”

  Molly pressed her palm to Faye’s cheek and turned her so they stared into each other’s eyes. “He did. He put my interests over and above his. He could not be matched with someone else, and he knew that.”

  “He gave up everything for you.”

  “Not everything. Only matching.”

  “And you.”

  “Perhaps.” Molly scraped her nail against Faye’s lower lip. “I don’t really want to talk about Malek.”

  “I can see that.” Faye smirked. “Was there something else you wanted to talk about?”

  “Talk?”

  “No.”

  “You want to do something else then?” Faye pressed the tip of her tongue against Molly’s nail.

  “God yes.”

  Molly pushed at Faye’s shoulder so she laid back on the bed. Crawling over her, she slipped her hand against the cotton of the towel and back up, cupping her breast and squeezing. Their mouths connected, heatedly dueling with each other as they each fought for control.

  Her hair fell over her shoulders as she held herself above Faye, running her free hand up and down. Faye’s skin was still hot from the water, still damp. Molly would have loved to have joined her, but she understood the need for Faye to feel clean. Faye moaned when Molly pulled open the towel and pinched her nipple hard between her thumb and forefinger, twisting until she knew there was enough pain to cause Faye to arch her back. And that was exactly what she did.

  Initiating the bond was almost second nature for her at that point. Molly called her magic, surrounding them each with it, letting it flow through her body as well as Faye’s. It found every recess imaginable. Each time she scraped the edge of her nail against Faye’s nipple the same pleasure shot through her own body.

  Breaking the kiss, Molly nibbled her way down Faye’s neck to her chest. She covered Faye’s breast with her mouth, sucking hard and twirling her tongue in the same way her fingers had just been moving. Faye gripped the back of her head, fingers tangled in her long locks as she tugged sharply before pushing Molly’s face back into her.

  Molly grinned before moving to Faye’s other breast and doing the same. Faye’s hips bucked up, catching Molly off-guard. Faye twisted until she was planted firmly underneath Faye’s wet chest. Grinning up into the eyes of her lover, Molly moved her knee up to press it hard against Faye’s core.

  Faye let out a noise from the back of her throat as her forehead dropped to Molly’s shoulder when Molly did it again and again, creating a fast rhythm. Faye suddenly pushed up and away from her, cocking her head to the side.

  “You’ve got way too many clothes on.”

  “So take them off.” Molly pulled her lower lip between her teeth, smiling up at Faye.

  “Slowly or my way?”

  “Your choice.”

  “This isn’t your favorite dress, is it?”

  “Hardly.”

  “Good.”

  One long nail on the tip of Faye’s finger cut sharply and perfectly into the material against Molly’s chest. Molly gasped as the sharp edge of her nail scraped along her sensitive skin but didn’t cut her. Her own nipples hardened in response as heat pooled between her legs. That was what she loved about this, the threat of danger but so deeply controlled. It was perfect.

  Faye ripped apart her dress, pushing the pieces to the side before she glided her hand downward, coming straight into contact with Molly’s body. Faye snorted and moved her fingers through the hair between Molly’s thighs.

  “Commando, again? Anticipating something?”

  “Hoping. They’re in my pocket.” Molly’s chest rose sharply.

  “You’re incorrigible.”

  “Like I said. Hopeful.”

  As Faye moved her mouth downward, Molly lifted up to pull the dress from her arms and tossed it over the side of the bed. Just as Faye was about to go down on her, she shoved her body backward. She wanted Faye to go first this time. It hadn’t been that way in long enough, and after Faye’s day, she deserved it. Molly sent Faye a wicked grin.

  “Up on your knees.”

  “This is about to get interesting.”

  “Isn’t it always?”

  Faye complied, and Molly spun on her butt until she was facing the opposite direction she had been. She pushed her body down until her head was planted firmly between Faye’s legs, and when she looked up, she was greeted with the most beautiful sight she’d ever seen.

  Wrapping her arms around Faye’s hips, Molly lowered her down until her tongue could reach. She swirled her tongue in circles before flattening it out and moving her head side to side. Faye gripped the sheets on the bed as she fell forward, her hips jerking as pleasure coursed through her, the echoing pleasure moving right through Molly.

  Faye sighed. Molly pulled her down tighter and focused everything she had on bringing Faye to her first orgasm of the night. She definitely intended to do this until dawn if she could manage to keep Faye occupied that long. She jerked with a start when Faye’s fingers touched her, slid inside her, moved slowly in and out, her thumb pressing hard against Molly’s own clit.

  She sent the pulse of pleasure through their bond, opening the connection between them even more. She wanted Faye to bite her, but she could truly wait for that to happen until they were far more satisfied and the pleasure wouldn’t be as sharp but more like a nice warm bath. Faye’s body collapsed on top of her as her hips rocked in time with the orgasm pulsing through her. Her fingers continued their pattern on Molly’s body, bring Molly even closer to the edge.

  What put her over, like it did most times they had sex, was the sweet sensation of Faye’s teeth digging into her skin. The taste of her own blood echoed in her throat as Faye drank her, the sweetness, the spice, the familiarity of it all. Faye sucked, and Molly held still under her. They would not be done just then that was for sure. Molly would have her all night.

  Chapter Thirty

  Faye had spent the week doing all her normal duties and meeting with Molly to discuss a more detailed plan of how to get information from Malek. They shared everything they knew about him recently, though Faye wouldn’t lie, she was still quite curious as to who Malek was back when Molly had met him—and their relationship.

  Turning into the game room, Faye went to find Joel and Ben to have a fun easy night and was surprised to find Malek in there instead. She eyed him carefully, curious as to why he was there since the game room was not his normal hang out. No one else was in the room. Faye waltzed around the large cushiony couch and sank down next to him.

  “What’s up, bright eyes?”

  “Bright eyes?” He raised a thin blond eyebrow at here.

  Faye shrugged. “Bored out of your wits yet?”

  “I find I have less to do than expected.”

  Chuckling, Faye clapped his thigh. “We can change that. I have a list of shit Molly has given me to do. You can join me, though I’m done for today. It’ll have to wait until tomorrow. I was looking for Joel and Ben, have you see them?”

  “No.”

  “Oh.” Faye turned to stare at the television that was off and noticed the book in Malek’s lap. Picking it up, she read over the cover and tossed it back at him. “Interesting read?”

  “Not in the least.”

  “Molly has a whole store of books in this house if you wanted to read something else.”

  “Interest doesn’t mean it isn’t knowledgeable.”

  “Whatever.” Faye sighed, not seeming like she was making any progress with him. She and Molly had agreed she needed to continue her seduction. For some reason, Malek had found a liking to her and was interested in pursing both her and Molly, though Faye had an inkling it was just so he could get to Molly in the long run.

  “It’s important to know history.” Malek reached along the back of the couch, his arm behind Faye’s shoulders.

  She shuddered as he leaned in closer. “You think so, but I’m not sold on that.”

  “If we don’t know history, it might repeat itself.”

  “To be fair, you’re kind of living history, and I will be too eventually. Kind of already am, but not as much as you are.”

  “In the scheme of things, Faye, I am quite young.”

  She wrinkled her nose. “No, I’m young. You’re getting close to four-hundred years old. That is anything but young.”

  His laugh echoed through the room, and he shook his head at her. “Reina and Corbin are far older than that.”

  “And who’s next in the fold? Age wise. You have to be up there, right?”

  “Molly was not the last to join our fold. Tess was, but she is one of the younger ones. We stopped adding to it during the war.”

  “And what war was that?” Faye glanced at the door, thinking she saw Ben coming in, but no one was there.

  “World War Two.”

  Pressing her lips tightly together, Faye turned slowly to him. “That’s the war that eradicated vampires.”

  “Yes, all but you, apparently.”

  “Well, me and my father.”

  Malek’s lips quirked up to one side. Faye shivered, sensing they weren’t alone in the room, but she couldn’t see anyone else there. She focused on Malek, curious as to why the news that her father was still alive didn’t surprise him.

  “You survived because no one knew you existed.” He brushed his fingers over her cheek.

  Faye turned into the touch, trying to convey she was interested in him no matter what. “True. I’m young in comparison, which I think was my point in the beginning. Why are you reading about old wars?”

  Malek shook his head. “No reason except to expand my knowledge. Did you know there was a war amongst the trolls?”

  “Nope. I don’t read often.”

  “You should. It’s quite useful.”

  “So is asking questions,” Faye muttered. “What was the war about?”

  Malek drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “The war took place here. It was about rising to the surface or remaining underground.”

  “Isolation or inclusion. Seems to be what most wars are about.”

  “You’re not wrong on that.”

  “And clearly the isolationists won.”

  “But not without great cost.”

  “How many trolls are left?”

  “A handful.” Malek brushed his fingers across her lips.

  Faye wanted to bat his hand away because it was annoying, but she let him continue, once again trying to play the role she and Molly had ordained for her. “Just the ones underground here?”

  He nodded.

  “They can’t make troll babies?”

  “No. They’ve become sterile. They will die out in the next generation.”

  “How sad.” Faye immediately thought of Lamek. He’d never shared any of that with her, though she’d never asked him either. They had an odd friendship, one that followed only one line of thought—drugs, sex, and fulfilling immediate needs.

  Malek shifted on the couch and brought Faye’s mouth to his for a quick kiss. “I can see your mind turning. What are you thinking?”

  “It’s sad he’ll never be with his friends and family again, and I hate he’s stuck on display for the world to see.”

  “Ah, yes. You could convince Molly to release him.”

  “You’ve met Molly, right?”

  Malek chuckled. “I think of all Tainted in this world, you would be the one who could convince her of such a duty.”

  “Duty?”

  “He does not deserve to be imprisoned for a crime unworthy of such a punishment.”

  Faye clenched her jaw. In order to get Molly to let Lamek out of his prison, she’d have to first get Molly to think about Pearl. She’d started that process, but not in the way Molly needed to in order to release Lamek. If there was one thing Faye had learned about Molly in the past four years is that was if Molly made a decision, she rarely changed her mind, which was why the whole re-entering the fold seemed utterly futile to her.

  “I don’t think he deserves it, but I also wasn’t there when it happened, and unless you talk to Molly and figure out what happened, I highly doubt you’re going to be able to convince her to let him go.”

  “He doesn’t deserve a prison for life for killing one person, who was not so innocent.”

  “What do you mean not innocent?”

  “Do you think Molly is innocent?”

  “No,” Faye said confidently. “Absolutely not.”

  “Why would you assume Pearl was?”

  “I didn’t.” Faye stared at him. She could see why his power specialty was mental manipulation. He was as good at it as Molly or Faye combined because no way had Faye said Pearl or Molly were innocent in the entire situation. If anything, she thought the complete opposite. But Malek had her for a quick second wondering if she had said that. She stared him down, waiting for a response. He didn’t need magic to read her mind. “I think Molly did it for revenge. You never want to get on her bad side.”

  “That’s true.”

  “So, how did you get on her bad side, Malek?”

  He sucked in a breath. She was pretty sure he hadn’t thought the conversation would take that turn. Faye waited patiently for an answer, wanting to at least start down that path. Not only would it give her information potentially as to why he was there but it would give her more insight into Molly and Malek before he’d shown up at the house.

  “Who said I was on her bad side?”

  Faye smirked. “I suppose no one did, and since you’re still alive and not in pain, you can’t have done something too horrible, but she did ignore you for the better part of two-hundred years and pretend you didn’t exist, so you did something.”

  “It’s more what I represent for her.”

  “The fold.”

  “Yes, along with the confines of what the fold represents. She knew the fold before it was in modern times. She doesn’t understand how it has changed.”

  “You mean sexism?”

  “Some, yes. She is a powerful witch, and we knew that even when she was young. It took a lot of training for Molly to learn to control her magic.”

  “I imagine it would for anyone.”

  He nodded. “But more so with her.”

  Faye remained quiet, hoping he would continue. She felt a crawling along her skin at her leg, and when she glanced down, she saw a spider staring at her. Rolling her eyes, Faye brushed Ben off her and focused on Malek.

  “Why did she need more training?”

  “Control. She is not as controlled as you may think she is.”

  Faye couldn’t quite argue with him on that one. She might have control over her magic, but beyond that, Faye wasn’t so convinced Molly was as unlike herself as Molly claimed. Faye leaned in to Malek.

  “Why do you think you have more control than her?”

  “I trained her.”

  “Doesn’t mean you do. Students often surpass their mentors.”

  His eyes danced with joy at Faye. “You’re quite like your father.”

  “Oh? Did you know him?”

  “Yes. Though I can’t say knowing him was pleasurable.”

  Faye laughed. “Yeah, I hear that a lot. Don’t worry. Next time I see him, he’ll be dead.”

  Kissing Malek hard on the lips, Faye pushed to her feet. “I’m off to get some work done. You keep busy with your damn book.”

  “Please consider talking to Molly about Lamek.”

  “Why do you want him released so much?”

  “I can only imagine what the fold might do to her if they discover what she’s been up to.”

  Faye drew in a sharp breath and let it out on a whistle. Then, unexpectedly, she bent down over him, her hands on the back of the couch as she got into his face. “Some might take that as a threat, Malek, since you are still part of the fold and she is not. However, I will give you the benefit of the doubt with that statement.” Tracing a path down his chest, Faye followed her fingers with her eyes before locking her gaze on his. “But somehow I’m pretty sure the fold is absolutely aware of what Molly has been up to these last two-hundred years, and I’m pretty sure she damn well knows it.”

  Wrinkling her nose, Faye straightened her back and turned toward the door. She didn’t dare look back at him as she tossed over her shoulder, “See you tomorrow, Malek.”

  As soon as she was out of the room, Faye let out a breath and shook her head. Everything with him was odd. Hot and cold, freezing and burning. She couldn’t quite get a handle on what was happening, but she did know he hadn’t tried to magically manipulate her since he’d gotten to the house. Maybe he couldn’t if it was true that the fold had bound his magic. She still wanted to know why though.

  ###

  Ben stood behind the hallway and waited as Faye walked toward him. He’d listened in on a lot of the conversation with Malek before racing out of the room when he realized Faye was getting ready to leave. Shifting into a snake, he slithered as fast as he could to the end of the hall and then shifted into his human form and waited for her to show up.

  As soon as she stepped to where he could reach, Ben grabbed her arm and shoved her against the wall with a hand over her mouth. Faye gave him an odd look, staring at him while he held on. Ben grinned at her and jerked his hand back when he felt her tongue against his palm.

  “That is disgusting.”

  “So is pressing up against me naked. Dude, disgusting.” Ben tried to cover himself, but Faye rolled her eyes. “Like I haven’t seen it before, or seen naked men before. You’re going to have to get used to that.”

  “Shh, I don’t want him to know I was listening.”

  “He’s clueless.”

  “You’re sure?”

  “Yeah. However, you need to be more subtle. I saw you walking by and then felt you come into the room.”

  “Felt me?”

  “Yeah.” Faye rolled her eyes. “You’re not super sneaky. What’d you think of Malek’s request?”

  “I think it’d be worth it to talk to her about the troll, and I think he’s right. You’re the only one who could potentially convince her.”